The End (Asgard Shorts series 13)
by LadyLorena
Summary: Thanos returns to claim what Loki owes him on his debt, but it is Grace who will pay for his decisions. The final piece of the series of shorts that follow The Best of Both Worlds.
1. Chapter 1

Loki had been on edge for many months after the arrival of the sceptre. Thor had increased security and sent ambassadors to other realms to inquire after the known Infinity Stones. Unfortunately, the few that had been known also seemed to have all been stolen.

The crisp fall air smelled of leaves and woodsmoke, and Grace had pulled the tattered grey sweater she repaired every year from the back of the closet. It looked just as bad as it had when she had inherited it from Tony, despite the effort she put into trying to keep it in one piece. Loki had once joked that it was only held together by the power of love and she was inclined to believe him- even as well kept as things were in Asgard, a battered inherited sweater that had originally belonged to Tony's father should not still be in one piece after over a millennium. She snuggled up in it and spiked her bright blue hair. It was a day full of meetings with various members of the court, so she mixed a long black skirt with her Skid Row t-shirt and the miracle sweater. If anyone they were meeting with had a problem with Skid Row, she figured she would just be amazed by the fact that anyone else in Asgard knew who they were.

She met Alice at the breakfast table, the littlest member of the royal family bundled in a wrap on her back. Izzy Anthony Stark was only a few months old and spent most of his time either nursing or sleeping exceptionally soundly while strapped to his mother or in the arms of one of his many doting family members.

"Is your father already off doing royal business?"

"Yeah. He decided that it was best to get an early start."

"Unlike us. It'll be lunch by the time we get to the throne room."

"Oh, I am just _so _upset by the prospect of missing the court gripe about how awful someone behaved somewhere and oh, horrors, they should be removed from the court."

"I feel the same way. Just such a damn shame, isn't it?"

"At least Iz has the right idea. Sleep through it all and no one will bother you."

Izzy was still asleep when they arrived in the throne room just as lunch was being delivered, the large doors closed and the court ushered off to their own private banquet. The royal family had a small table set up and gathered together as they often did on days such as these. Even amidst the business of hearing the concerns of the court, they took the time to all sit together for a break.

After lunch, visits with the court resumed, but they were considerably more casual. The most impatient visitors had been met in the morning, and they were also most of those who insisted on a formal meeting. By the time the last person left, Grace had taken to sitting sideways in her chair, her legs over the arm, while Alice nursed Izzy on a long, fluffy couch. Loki sat beside her, admiring his grandson. Odin hovered, which was normal, while Sif and Thor sat at the foot of the dias- no one expected anything exciting to happen and they were starting to discuss which card game to play at dinner when something shook the floor. There was a thud from somewhere in the palace. Thor looked up, concerned. A dull roar. Then crashing. Another vibration and explosion. The sounds of a great clattering in the hallway. Odin tugged Alice and Izzy into a secret door under the dias and disappeared. The sounds of battle grew closer. Thor clutched Mjolner and started for the door when it burst open. Wave after wave of soldier from every corner of the nine realms poured into the room. Thor spun Mjolner until he heard Loki yell "stop!" Confused as to why, he glanced at his brother and saw a look of sheer terror on his face.

"It is him," Loki whispered.

Thor white-knuckle griped Mjolner as a large creature strode into the room; he held up one glittering hand, "It fits me well, don't you think?"

Grace could hear Thor's sharp gasp from where she stood beside her shaken husband, "The vault. What else have you stolen?"

"Why would I steal petty trinkets from the realms when this will defeat them all?'

Loki found his voice, "What do you want, Thanos?"

"The repayment of a debt."

"He paid his debt. Ten years of torture," Thor said.

"He paid for the failure to bring me the Tesseract. Now he must pay for the loss of a gem. It did not take me long to retrieve it, but the inconvenience...oh, I expect compensation."

"What must I do, then, to clear my ledger?"

Thanos' grin was cruel, "You caused me to lose something precious to me...so before I assemble this gauntlet and destroy you so completely that not even Hela will find you, you will lose something precious to you. I have heard you have a wife. In three days, I will return and you will kill her."

Loki could not speak; Thor, however, had no such problem, "You cannot simply march ino my realm and demand such things! I am king, You will wage war with _me_!"

"It would be a very short one. With this gauntlet, I can wipe this pitiful little place from the universe. Would you prefer that? If Loki cannot deliver, I will. If he runs, I will. If she runs, I will. And after he kills her, I will decide if a delightfully bloody war is worth my time or if I should just use the gaunlet and be done with you." He gestured for his soldiers to leave, "Three days, and you _will_ be watched." In only a few moments, he was gone, the throne room silent.

"To the war room," Thor said, "We have much to discuss. Sif, summon Fandral." She left quickly and he went to Loki, "I must find out how he got here and what he did in the vault. Go when you can to meet with the others. We will think of another way."

Loki waited until Thor was gone, "There is no other way."

Grace had dropped to the couch, "Fuck. Fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck. And fuck again."

He sat down beside her, "I am so sorry, Gracie. Please, can you forgive me?"

"Well I'm not going to spend my last days with you pissed off. So yes."

"We have a long afternoon ahead of us."

"I'm terrified to tell Alice."

"I as well. Shall we head to the war room?"

When they arrived, Thor and Sif were pouring over sketches of the palace with Fandral as he described the assault. They sat down quietly, not wanting to interrupt.

Thor shook his head at something on the map, "They could not have used that passage. It is too highly guarded."

Fandral sighed, "It _was_, yes. And now they are all dead. Thor, they were swift, brutal, and more efficient than any force I have ever seen. I lost most of my best men. Those who did not die are bleeding in the infirmary. We cannot defeat this by might alone. Perhaps Mjolner could kill some, but with the gauntlet, Thanos will not die easily."

"But what about magic?"

"The All-Father grows weaker, and you know this. I do not think he could destroy the gauntlet. And Loki, while quite skilled, is not more powerful than your father at his peak."

"So what other options do we have?" Sif asked, "Could we call on our allies in other realms to defend us?"

"I will not lead my allies into a battle likely to end their home realms. Thanos would retaliate and leave them homeless."

Fandral shoved the sketches aside, "Illusion? Could we stage this so he would see her killed, but it would be immaterial?"

Loki answered, "No. He could always see through my illusions."

"And you are quite skilled in them."

"I consider myself so, yes."

"Perhaps we could disguise one of the prisoners who is scheduled to be executed..." Sif suggested.

Again, Loki shot down the idea, "He would know. And he would destroy the realm. Thanos relishes death. He wishes to see this, he will recognise a substitute and it would anger him."

Grace's face was blank, her voice empty, "Then we have only one option. You're going to have to actually kill me."

"Grace..." Thor began.

"We don't have any other options. If we fake it, everyone dies. If we don't...well, maybe it's just me. And that's better than everybody. Alice can disappear with Izzy and Asgard probably won't even notice I'm missing."

"You know that is not true," Sif said. "You are well loved- the people will grieve you."

"Thanks."

Fandral laid out new pages, "We still must plan how we will fight him after, if he choses not to just kill us all for the fun of it. I do not have many men left in the palace guard. We will have to train the army."

"In three days? Fandral, that is likely impossible." Sif fiddled with the edge of the table, "We are on our own."

Grace dropped her forehead to the table and covered her head with her hands, "Fuck Thanos and the horse he rode in on."

"Did he have a horse?" Thor asked.

Loki placed a hand on her back, "Gracie, we must have hope."

"No, no, honey, I don't have to. You have to kill me in three days to try to stop a crazy man from destroying all of Asgard. Not much hope there. Fuck him. Fuck him with barbed wire. And fuck everybody who fights with him. He should be shot of a cannon into the sun. Fuck him all to hell."

Fandral, Thor, and Sif returned to quietly sketching the palace and where Thanos had caused the most damage in his entrance. Loki felt useless and helpless. He had no idea how to comfort Grace and thought he likely did not have the right to, given that his actions had led to this and he was going to have to kill her.

The rest of the meeting seemed far too long. Reports filtered in of other attacks through the palace and then of Thanos' army wreaking havock in the city. Each attack ended the minute soldiers arrived, Thanos' people vanishing into the crowd, avoiding capture. With every attack came a new report, a pause in battle planning, and another glance from Heinrik that said he knew something awful was happening and would probably ask about it later.

The planning went rather smoothly, though. They roughed out who would be where, how they would fight, and what relics they would bring from the vault. Grace would occassionally give a word or two of input, but stayed primarily silent until it came time to discuss just how she was going to die. Then she began having breakdowns during the planning. They were patient with her. The first time, she swore primarily at Thanos. Then she took on Fandral ("Fuck you and the guards- why couldn't you stop him? Why did he even get to the vault to get to that damn thing?") Fandral tried to interrupt, but Sif gently stopped him. After, she apologised. Then she cursed out Odin for having the gauntlet in the vault in the first place, and in a location that anyone could find.

Later she cursed at Loki, "And if it wasn't for the fact that you were a teenage drama queen, we wouldn't be in this motherfucking mess to begin with. Fuck you, and fuck me for being the sentimental bitch who followed you here! I should have told Tony to fuck off and fucking get you from Detroit himself. Fucking hell, why did I decide to be so fucking _nice_ to you?" She screamed into the table.

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her back, "I do not know, but I am grateful for every moment we have had, and will continue to do so until the light leaves your eyes."

"Yeah, well that's going to be really damn soon. Too soon."

"I love you, Gracie."

"I love you, too...I'm sorry, I'm scared as shit."

"Then let us finish here quickly so we might find rest and some comfort in the quiet of the evening."

Thor took the hint and they wrapped up their plans. Grace left quickly after and practically ran to their quarters, hiding in the bathroom, heaving. Loki caught up with her and found the door locked. He sat down on the bed and picked up the fluffy penguin plush she had given him in Chicago so many years before. He curled up with it and tried not to think too much about what was coming.

Grace looked like she had been hit by a truck when she finally came out of the bathroom. She cuddled beside him on the bed. The door opened and closed. Izzy cried a little as Alice worked him out of her sling.

"Mom, Dad...what the hell is going on?"

"Thanos has returned. He has demanded repayment for the loss of the gem from the sceptre."

"I'm guessing he doesn't want gold."

"Oh no, far worse." Loki stroked Grace's hair, "Far, far worse. You may wish to be sitting down."

Alice plopped down on the end of the bed, "Shit, what did he ask for?"

"In three days, I am to kill your mother or he will destroy the entire realm."

She had no words. She stared at Izzy, stunned.

"And despite all alternative scenarios we discussed today, none will result in the realm not being simply ended because Thanos wishes it so and has the gauntlet. He is an agent of death, he will see her die, and he will relish it. There is no other way this can end."

"We have to run away."

"No. He will use the gauntlet if we do, and he would find and kill us. I do not think he knows of you, my darling girl, or he would have added you and Izzy to the bargain. He means to make me suffer deeply. You and Izzy must stay hidden these next few days."

"But I want to stay with you and Mom."

"You will, Al," Grace said, "But you're not leaving the palace. His men are everywhere. I don't want them putting the pieces together and coming after you. Just stay safe for me, OK?"

"Yeah. I can't believe this is real."

"Oh, far too much so. And I am regretting so much..."

Grace inched closer to Loki and he continued to run his fingers through her hair. Before long, she was asleep, as was Izzy. Alice set him in his basket and went to sit at the table across from her father. She made tea and they talked late into the night, neither feeling like sleeping.

Grace filled her last days with games, music, and comfortable clothes. She danced with Loki in an empty ballroom, finished a book she had been neglecting on the night stand, and watched the videos Tony had made just before his death. She sang, tried desperately not to cry, and spent a little extra time trying to get to know Fandral better. While they had never been friends, she hadn't really made the attempt to be, especially given that he had tried to get Loki killed when she was still living her Midgardian life. She wondered if he was lonely- he was never surrounded by women anymore and she had not seen him spending much time with Volstagg, either. She regretted not having talked to him sooner, especially after Hogun's death, when he had lost much of his jovial spirit. She wrote him a letter asking some very blunt questions and handed it to him, instructing him not to open it until after she was dead.

She wrote other letters as well, but most of them she burned without ever giving them to anyone.

On her last morning, she woke up early to watch the sunrise, coffee in hand. She made waffles for breakfast along with fresh whipped cream, the smell waking her husband and daughter. She tried to ignore the rising fear and instead played her favourite rock music, dancing with her grandson until it was time to send Izzy and Alice into hiding.

"I'm not going to say don't watch, but really, Al, I don't want you to have to see this. But your dad says I have to leave it up to you."

"I probably won't, but thanks...and I love you. Thank you for everything, and for letting me be me."

She smiled, "I love you, too, baby girl. We had a good run, and tell Izzy all the good stories- make sure Dad tells the crazy ones and tells him about Tony."

"I will." She hugged her mother one last time and then abruptly left, baby on her back, before she started crying.

The minute the door clicked shut, Grace broke down sobbing. Loki joined her. Then they curled up together on the couch for a few moments.

"Did you not wish to dress in something you had chosen before we depart?"

"Yeah. I should do that, shouldn't I. He'll be here soon."

She went, she dressed, and when she returned, she was wearing the long soft grey gown with the low draped back that she had worn both to swear fealty to Asgard and to pledge herself to Loki, "I figured it's what I made two of my biggest promises in...I might as well be buried in it."

He held her, kissed her, and let his tears fall on her neck, "My dearest Miss Grace...I swear to you I will never love another as I have loved you."

"Don't. I want you to find your joy again. And if that means you fall for somebody, I don't want you to think I'm in your way. I'll be dead and gone. You still have so much time ahead of you. Half your life, even. You need to live it unafraid and unencumbered by a promise to a dead girl."

"But..."

"No. No buts. You can survive this. You will. You are strong, you have a family to take care of. Go get shitfaced and then move forward. Always move forward."

"Do you regret coming here? Being a part of my world?"

"No. But fuck Thanos."

"You have expressed that quite frequently."

"Yeah, there's not much more to say about him. Fuck him to high hell."

Heinrik brought them the news that Thanos was at the gate. They went arm-in-arm to the throne room. Before they entered, Grace stopped and pulled Loki into an alcove.

"Please tell me if it will hurt. Honestly."

"Yes, my love, it will."

"Be quick. I hope to god this works."

"As do I."

Grace kissed him, a last kiss meant to convey every unspoken feeling from that moment and every moment she would miss. Then she stepped back to the doors, brushed the front of her dress smooth, and took a deep breath.

"I am Grace motherfucking Stark and I will _end_ this."

Thor, Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg were in full armor. The army stood at the ready. The court had assembled as witnesses and, in some cases, as warriors ready to defend Asgard. Grace and Loki stood in front, focused on the large doors. When Thanos entered, the gauntlet glittered and shimmered, the stones in place.

"You are not the cowards I expected you to be. You are here. Most creatures would fear death to greatly to stand before me. Do you not?"

"I'm motherfucking terrified. But if my brother could deliver a nuke into an alien wormhole over New York City knowing he was going to either be blown to bits or die falling thousands of feet...I think I can do this."

"Your brother destroyed our Chitauri?"

"Fuck yeah. Tony Stark for the win, Chitauri zero. Eat that."

"And here I believed I was going to simply see the death of another simpering Asgardian courtesan. It appears I have a pleasure far greater."

"If it wipes the red from Loki's ledger, so be it. But no more. This ends _now_."

"Yes. With your death. Please, proceede."

She nodded to Loki. He drew a long, thin blade from a sheath at his side and faced her, cupping her face in his hand. He whispered something in her ear and she smiled. The blade slid between her ribs, blood pouring down her dress. She gasped, sputtering, her eyes wide, hands clutching for him as she sank to the floor, Loki easing her down.

He stared at the blood on his arms, staining his clothes. He threw the knife at Thanos' feet. Thanos laughed. The assembled stared in silent horror.

"Ah, Loki...I knew there was a reason I did not simply remove your eyes during our time together. By preserving them you get to see what you have done, to my delight."

He closed her eyes, then gathered her in his arms, "And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest..." He lifted her and rose, steadying his voice to address Thanos, "As my now-late wife would say, fuck you and the horse you rode in on." He left. The doors to the throne room closing hard behind him.

He did not hear Thor bellow, "FOR ASGARD!"

He did not hear the ring of steel as hundreds of weapons were drawn.

He did not hear the roar of the assembled as they charged forward.

All he could hear was the thundering of his own heartbeat as hot tears rolled down his face, every step agonising, as he carried her back to their quarters.


	2. Chapter 2

Grace was aware of something happening. Someone touching her. Gentle hands on her face. Warmth. And then pain. Throbbing, pulsing. She tried to moan and nothing happened. She tried to turn her head and open her eyes, but again, she was unsuccessful. She knew somewhat well what had happened, at least up to where the knife had pierced her side and her brain had started screaming. From there everything was blurry until she fell blank, a sweet relief. She wondered just what was happening to her, especially since she did not believe in an afterlife.

She tried to ask. This time she was able to groan. She turned her head a little and tried to push herself up. The hands firmly pushed her back down, a voice telling her to rest. She knew the voice, but could not place who it belonged to. Memories were blurry and nothing made sense. She felt dizzy. She tried to speak again, and brought a hand to her side. Someone caught her. She tried to open her eyes, but the light was too bright. She rested. The pain seemed to grow stronger with every breath. She cried out. Something in her knew that pain and being dead did not seem lilke the right combination. But she could let go. She let herself start to fade away from pain and into that same sweet relief she had felt after being stabbed.

"No, no, no, no...come back...please, come back." Hands vigorously rubbed her arms and legs. She ignored the sensation, embracing the idea of feeling nothing. The hands moved more frantically, and whomever owned them sent something clattering to the floor, other objects following. The room smelled of iron. Hands pressed a poultice to her side and she felt fire shoot along the blade's path. She screamed, her back arching, struggling against a body holding her down. She screamed again, twisting away from the fire. After a few moments, the burning sensation was replaced by something cool and soothing. She sighed and dropped back onto the bed.

"What's going on?" she asked, her voice weak.

"Oh thank god it worked." She finally recognised his voice and pried her eyes open. Loki sat beside her on the bed, his face streaked with tears, a small table pulled beside him, most of its containers tipped over or on the floor. He leaned over her and held her gently, "It worked...how in the nine realms did it actually work?"

"I'm not dead."

"No, not at all. A miracle, truly."

"But you stabbed me. And holy fucking shit did it hurt. You weren't kidding."

"I found a spell yesterday to restore the body and recall the soul in the case of accidental stabbing with an ice dagger. It was, apparently, a common problem in Jotunheim."

"Jotun magic once again wins."

"Yes, yes it does. Oh god, Gracie...it worked..."

She smiled as he kissed her, stroking her cheek, "This magic is strong in your blood, a part of who you are."

"And for once I am truly grateful for that."

He helped her sit up, "What do we do now? He'll just have you kill me again."

"Then I suppose I must go to war."

"But he'll kill you... I wish we could just disappear."

"It is either he or I who will die in this. While he lives, you cannot show your face. I will not allow that. I must destroy him. For Asgard, yes, but mostly for you, Alice, and Izzy."

"And because you want to kick the shit out of him for those ten years."

"Indeed. That as well." He looked down at his clothing, "While I do believe there would be something poetic to wearing a shirt soaked in your blood to avenge you, I think I would rather have a dry layer under my armor."

"Well, I guess then there's only one thing we can do about that."

"Oh?"

"Let me undress you. And redress you, too."

He brought his garments and armor to the bed, "Do not over exert yourself. You are at a rather perilous point, having been just brought back."

There were many duties a wife was supposed to accept in Asgard, and the only one Grace had ever really taken to was caring for her prince's accoutrements of war and helping to dress him in them for battle or ceremony. Polishing metalwork, oiling leather- these would help him to come home to her. Securing the plates, making sure each piece layed right on his body, and tightening laces and straps, all these were little ways to ensure the possibility of victory. She had taken on this task even before they had married, treating each part of the process as an intimate moment that only she could share with him. As she repeated this ritual from her spot on the bed, she thought back to the other moments, realising that no matter how many times she had done this same thing, it had never become simply meaningless rote action. It still, after all these years, was an act of love.

Once dressed, he sat beside her and took both her hands, "My dearest Miss Grace...I cannot promise you I will return, but I will do everything in my powers to rest beside you tonight. While I am gone, please sleep. Your strength will continue to grow throughout the day. But you must rest. Pushing yourself too far could lead to your death."

"Loki...I'll do my best. But you know me- if my instincts say to move, I'm moving."

He kissed her forehead, "I know. I would have it no other way."

"I love you."

"And I, you. And because of such, I must go." He retrieved his knives and the sceptre, then left. Grace slowly got out of bed and changed from her bloodstained gown into her AC/DC t-shirt, black wide-legged drawstring trousers, and Tony's old sweater. Comfortable, she tossed the bloody comforter and blanket onto the floor and curled up under a clean blanket on the bed, dozing off to sleep with the little stuffed penguin tucked under her chin.

Loki strode to the throne room, resolute. Only death would stop him. He initially planned to just kill anyone in his way, but he remembered, as he had after Hogun's death, that these creatures were all someone's father, brother, son. Then he remembered something else- none of Thanos' soldiers likely had any family left, as he had a habit of killing everyone and then press-ganging people into his service right after they had watched their family die in horrible ways, so it was actually unlikely they were someone's son, father, or brother anymore. He recalled Thanos had done so the the girl, Gammora. Loki had only briefly known her, but she had been kind to him shortly after Thanos had found him. He had tried to threaten his family, but when he had said he would kill Odin if Loki did not comply, his response had been "Fine" and Thanos had sent him to Gammora for torment. He had told her to do her worst, but as soon as he was out of earshot, Loki had deflated, telling her that he likely deserved it anyway, so whatever punishment she had to mete out, he would take. She had approached cautiously, not trusting his sadness, but instead of torturing him, had sat beside him and talked to him, explaining how Thanos worked, what he was, and why he should just do what he could to get out alive. When he had expressed no need for such a thing, she had convinced him that life was worth living, even if living it a slave. As he walked to the throne room, he wondered if she had ever escaped and where she was. He hoped that if she had not escaped, Thanos' death would free her.

He felt the anger growing as he took each step, his blood boiling a he thought about how many people Thanos had likely put through the same ordeal he had just endured. His fingers twitched towards the knife handles at his belt. He heard a line from one of Grace's movies in his head, "_But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will_..." It was good advice, actually, and he had noted that when he had first heard it. Calm, thoughtfulness, the things he had prized as a much younger man, and things he had mocked Thor for lacking, these were what won fights. Not impulse and hot-tempered actions. He stopped for a moment and took a few deep breaths. He would not be rash. This was a war he had to win, not one he could chance losing because he forgot to think. He had let anger lead him when he had avenged his mother and it had led him to death. This time, he would do better.

As he approached the throne room, he saw the fight had spilled out into the hall. He selected his knives and picked one to join.

When Loki entered the throne room, Fandral noticed. He had been waiting. There was good reason for this, of course- he had thought, perhaps, that there was some miracle to be had and that he would be able to tell by the way Loki entered. He normally would not be quite so concerned- while it was his job to oversee the security of the royal family, he and Grace had never really been friends, and there had been many times when he and Loki had been anything but. Grace had written him a letter, though- a letter he had opened before her death, contrary to her instructions. She had asked him a few very blunt questions and supposed at their answers, which had been entirely correct. She had guessed a secret that Fandral had told no one. And not only had she guessed it, but she had said she had no problem with it and suddenly Fandral wanted to thank her, and possibly to talk through things with her that he had kept close to his heart for far too long. He had hoped that there was something he had not known about that could save her so he could just tell her.

Loki's cold, methodical entrance to the battle did not reassure him. He felled his enemy and sighed- if Grace was dead, he knew exactly how Loki felt. Fear crept along the edges of his heart- if that was how he felt, what would he do next? He watched as Loki plunged a blade into the back of a large shaggy green creature, dropping it to the ground, the soldier on the other side completely surprised. He did not even hesitate, but continued on to the next fight, working his way toward Thanos. Fandral knew that Loki would want to engage on his own, but that it was not a fight he was likely to win alone. He readied his weapon and decided to join him.

Grace was sleeping fitfully. She was dreaming battle. She stood in the throne room watching Loki as he twirled knives, blood slick and hot on the floor at his feet. His face was stony and unflinching. When he reached Thanos, he swung the sceptre, energy crackling around it, and flung something bright green from the tip, striking Thanos in the back. He turned. He grinned. He charged. She woke up in a sweat, knowing something horrible was about to happen. She slipped out of bed and nearly fell over, the pain in her side sharp, but bearable. She retrieved the walking staff that Odin had given her many hundreds of years earlier and stopped at the door, wondering just what the hell she was doing. She went to the desk and found her throwing knives. She tucked them in a pouch and slung it on her wrist before leaving the room. There were secret places in the palace- places from which she could see the battle without ever being seen herself. Some were in tucked high above the throne, some were hidden in columns or behind heavy curtains, while yet others were tucked in the dias itself. She tried to remember the dream and figured out which hiding place would work best- behind an elaborate mosaiced nook tucked off to the side of the room- almost a little chapel. Thor had once told her it was a place for the queen to retire during long audiences, but it was no longer used. It was separated from the room by a heavy mesh screen that allowed the person inside to look out, but no one to look in.

When she arrived, she watched. Loki was not far, battling Thanos alongside Fandral and Thor. Thanos swung something. Fandral dodged. Thor was not fast enough. He landed, stunned, on his back. Fandral threw something to Loki. A blast of ice. For a moment, Thanos was still. Then he roared and the ice shattered. Loki ran and opened the box again, his skin blue, the ice coating Thanos as he charged. Fandral attacked, but Thanos broke free of the ice and swung back at Fandral, catching him across the shoulder. Fandral slipped and slid, his head thudding against the floor. Loki was on his own. Thanos lunged knocking his weapon from his hands and throwing him onto the dias steps. Loki was breathing heavily, his skin fading from blue, as he approached. He flexed the gauntlet.

"So that must be the Cask..." Grace whispered to herself. Loki scrambled for a weapon, but his fingers fumbled, slick with ice. She palmed her own knife and slid the screen aside just enough to throw, "Dear sweet baby Jesus, let this work." She took careful aim and let her knife loose. It would not be large enough to do any real damage, that she knew, but it might distract him just long enough for Loki to have a chance. It hit Thanos' shoulder with a dull thud and he cried out in shock and anger, whirling in the direction it was thrown from. He could not see Grace, but he understood that since no one else was fighting in that area, someone was hiding behind the screen. He slammed his fist into the side of Loki's head, intending to incapacitate him long enough to keep him from leaving.

Loki was concious enough to look for the cause of Thanos' distraction. The black and silver hilt of the blade stuck in Thanos' back was far too familiar. He panicked and flung himself at the weapon abandoned closet to him, swinging it and letting it loose, praying it hit its intended mark before he lost his wife again.

From Grace's vantage point as she frantically tried to find the latch in the mosaic that would open the passage out, Thanos looked like a demon charging. She knew she would not find the latch in time. She huddled in the corner and pulled Tony's sweater over her head, peering out one of its many holes as he thundered closer.

Then his head exploded from behind. He dropped to the floor, very dead.

Grace crawled to the screen and stared.

Loki was shaking when Fandral stumbled over and dropped down beside him on the steps with the Cask.

Thor roared, "SURRENDER! Thanos is dead!" Weapons dropped, one by one. Only a few dragged the battle on.

Grace crept out of her hiding place and walked cautiously to the corpse, "What the actual fuck just happened?" When she saw what was embedded in his skull, she first looked for Thor, but he was nowhere near where it had been thrown from.

Loki met her eyes, then looked back at Thanos' shattered skull, then down at his hands, and back at the shattered skull.

Thor walked up to Thanos and retrieved Mjolner.

He took it to Loki, "Brother, do you realise what you did?"

"Only just. I lifted Mjolner."

"Threw, actually. It deemed you worthy of Asgard's throne."

Still stunned, Loki glanced from the blood-spattered hammer to his hands.

Fandral, meanwhile, had gone to retrieve the gauntlet. Grace was picking her way around the bodies, trying not to slip, having difficulty finding a good place to put her staff.

"Grace! How...how is this possible?"

"Magic of Jotunheim, baby! I had no idea he could do this. I was, apparently, dead. Now I'm not. I'm ZombieGrace!" She laughed. Fandral hugged her, smiling. She was surprised, but hugged him back, "Whoa, what's this for?"

"I will tell you as soon as I get this gauntlet to safety."

"Good idea. That's something we don't need disappearing again."

He tugged it free and returned to her, "Ah, this ought to be somewhere no one can find it."

"So who is going to get it there?"

"Sif. She will take her secrets to the grave."

"Yeah, well thank god none of us had to do that today."

Fandral paused, "I...I read your letter."

"Awww, you cheated!"

"Yes. And you're right. He was. And for a few moments today, I could honestly say I know the kind of loss your husband felt. There will never be another Hogun in my life."

She reached for his hand, "I'm so sorry. And I hope you'll come talk to me when you need to. I know it's not the same, but I lost the woman who was my first boyfriend and my first girlfriend. When we broke up, we were still best friends, right up until some fucker beat her to death with a pipe. It still hurts."

"When you first offered to be a refuge, I assumed it was because you thought I felt for Hogun as you did your brother."

"I had my suspicions, but honey, nobody tries as hard as you did with the ladies as someone hiding deep in the closet. Why haven't you been more open? It's not taboo here."

"No, but there are some of the men who...well, they would think less of me for it. And did not your brother have quite a few women?"

"Tony never really had to try... But anyway babe, those men aren't worth the shit on your boots. Tell them to fuck off. And if they give you any crap, tell me and I'll take them down. But live so you love yourself. No more hiding."

"Thank you. But we ought to reunite you with your husband. It seems he has done something remarkable."

"Did I just really see what I think I saw?"

"Mjolner sitting squarely where Thanos' brain ought to be."

"Yeah. And Thor didn't throw it."

"Correct."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I have no idea."

They walked over to where Thor was sitting beside Loki on the steps, "Would you like to try to lift it again?"

Loki shook his head, "No. For one moment, it deemed me worthy. I do not need to know if I am no longer."

Grace dropped down beside him and kissed him, "Always worthy in my book, darlin'."

"Mjolner knew your heart, Loki. You sought to wield it to save others, with no regard for yourself. You sought to use it to save this realm and all others, not for your own gain. Brother, you are worthy of this throne. It is why you stand beside me, not behind me, when we hold court." Thor hooked the hammer to his belt and went to oversee surrender and the prisoners being transferred to the dungeon, some of whom were thanking their captors for freeing them from Thanos.

Fandral showed Loki the gauntlet, "Do you wish to see it? It is a remarkable piece of craftsmanship. And perhaps something you ought to study?"

His fingers brushed the gold, but pushed it back into Fandral's hands, "No. It calls far too strongly. Take it apart and hide the pieces where I will not find them."

"Sif will know what to do." Fandral took the gauntlet to Sif, who immediately strode from the room to secure it.

Grace nuzzled Loki's cheek and then wriggled her way under his arm, "It's over, right?"

"Yes. Yes, my love, it is over." He was quiet. "How is it over? It has been so many years..."

"It's over because you totally exploded his head with a hammer. You should have seen it from my angle. Soooo gross. But still, you fucking destroyed Thanos. That is super fucking badass."

"Is it?" he asked as if he did not entirely believe what she was saying.

"Yeah. Every girl in the realm is going to want to have your babies, it's that badass. He had the gauntlet. He was this train, barelling down on me, and you went and nailed him. Stop. HAMMER TIME. And it's over. You saved the universe. Alice is going to be so proud of her dad."

He smiled, "My dearest Miss Grace-"

"DAD! You were amazing!" Alice, with Izzy on her back, lept nimbly through the corpses and blood, tossing herself in for a hug.

"You were watching?"

"Yes. I saw everything. You are a hero."

"No, I am just Loki. That Mjolner allowed me one throw does not make me a hero."

Alice shrugged and sat beside him, "It does to me."

Grace took his hand, "You're free."


	3. Chapter 3

Not long after the battle, Odin felt tired. Far more tired even than an old man who spent most of his time in the library ought. He called his sons to him and told them it was time for him to enter into the Odinsleep from which he would not wake. Loki solomnly accepted this. Thor drank all night and slept most of the next day. Alice took Izzy to spend some time with his great grandfather while Grace and Sif took tea and wondered just how their husbands were going to handle the death of the All-Father.

When the time came, the family gathered around Odin. He gifted them things- the All-Mother's jewels and gowns split between the three women. Weaponry and Sleppnir to Thor. His private library and the Cask of Ancient Winters to Loki, to be kept in the vault, but still his. The nursery full of toys that had belonged to his sons was now Izzy's. And with one last goodbye, with even Loki tearful, he closed his eyes.

Thor invited the others, along with Fandral and Volstagg, to drink with him all night. The next day, they announced the news to the realm and began the ceremonial preparations for the funeral of the All-Father. There would be feasting, the passing of certain artefacts and relics on to his sons in public inheritance rituals, and weeks of mourning after his barge was set alight and the lantern let to fly.

The rituals finished, Loki, Grace, Alice, and Izzy rode to the countryside for a picnic under the weeping tree that, come spring, would be decked in flowers, showering the ground with silken petals. The tree had lost nearly all its fire-orange leaves and they crunched underfoot as they made their way towards the trunk, sheltered from the first few snowflakes by the curtain of branches swaying gently in the breeze. While chilly, it was not a bad day for a picnic, the sun shining between the clouds and the smells of the harvest baked into pies and cakes, or being cooked down for winter storage. The sun shimmered off the City Greenhouse in the distance.

Grace flopped back on the blanket and set Izzy on her chest, "So...I really hope life gets a little more quiet for a while. We've had some crazy times lately."

"I hope so, too, Mom."

Loki was quiet, "Honey? What's on your mind. Your daughter and I are nosey."

He smiled, "Oh, I know you are."

"Speak."

"You were wrong when you said I was free after Thanos died. After Father's death, I am free. There are painful memories I let burn with him. _Now_ it is over."

Grace propped herself up; Izzy giggled and drooled on her shirt, "I have a crazy idea."

"Oh?"

"Let's move out of the palace. I mean, I know we all are really comfortable there, and the library can't come with us...but why don't we build a little place of our own out here so we can just get away from it all? We can still keep quarters there, and I have no doubt we'll be there at least a couple of times a week."

Alice pushed aside branches and looked out over the city and to the palace beyond, "It's not that far of a ride. Do you think we'd be safe?"

He slowly nodded, "Yes. Yes we would be. And yes, let us. Let us leave that shadow so we may rest."

"Do you think Thor will be cool with it?"

"I will ask. Do not worry. If this is what we wish, this what we will do."

"Mom, can we have a garden and grow vegetables? Maybe even get a couple of pets or working animals?"

"Sure. We might need some help getting started, but yeah, why not?"

"And this would suit you, Gracie?"

"I've never lived outside of a city. I know, Stark Tower was really isolated when we needed it to be, but it was still in New York. I think learning to live on our own like this is our next great adventure."

"But a calm adventure, in which we can help our daughter raise our grandson and live quietly. I think I will like this."

Alice poured glasses of wine and raised hers, "Here's to us."

"_Here's to love, all the times that we've fucked up,_" Grace continued.

Loki smiled as they toasted and clinked glasses, "And to finally being free."


End file.
